Always play to win!

I just got a call from Coach. The lil' Lady Lions were playing in an AAU tournament in Jacksonville this weekend. They won every game they played to take the championship. Congratulations Lady Lions! I cannot think of playing to win without the story of the Dallas Cowboys coming to mind.

Back to back victories by the Dallas Cowboys at the Super Bowl in 1993 and 1994 may mask the fact that Jimmy Johnson, the team's legendary former coach knew as much about losing as he did about winning. In 1989, his first season at Dallas, Johnson's team had only one win and fifteen losses. Johnson kept a positive attitude. If a running back had the ball, he shouted, "Protect the ball", rather than "Don't fumble". To his field-goal kickers he'd say, "Make this," not "Don't miss." After a loss, he would spend his post-game time plotting the next win, rather than second-guessing what had gone wrong.

The Cowboys responded and improved. It took four years, but the Super Bowl rings were on their fingers. You may not win every tournament or every game, but the person who plays to win always has a much better chance.

Coach said "They left it all on the court". What a compliment. They held nothing back, they gave all they had and then some. And all they had was enough for them to win this championship that now qualifies them to play in the AAU National Tournment in Minneapolis, Minnesota in June 2007.

Way to go Lady Lions.....Queens of the Jungle! Grrr...rrrh!

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (making us conquerors) through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57 AMP

The Price of Success!

Napoleon saw Italy, but not the Alps. He had an objective and he knew where he was going. The Alps were simply something to be crossed enroute. Washington saw Hessians massed at Trenton. He didn't see the Delaware choked with ice. A frozen river was simply a challenge to be overcome on the way to victory.

Students in kindergarten do not see all the years ahead of them, all the homework, the exams and long nights of study that they must endure in exchange for graduation out of high school.
They see years of fun with their friends, sports on their favorite teams and learning new stuff every year.

A mother about to give birth has her mind and heart wrapped around the baby she will soon hold in her arms. The agony of childbirth is simply something that must be lived through in order to experience the joy of new life.

The basketball player intent on bettering her game and earning a state championship will hold the image of the championship ring in her mind. The long hours of training, practice, conditioning and strengthening are simply the price that must be paid in exchange for a great reward. And what a reward!

You can choose to see the obstacles that loom in your path or choose to be truly successful by seeing the objectives: the goals, the reason; the hope that lies beyond those obstacles. Beyond the hurdles lies the finish line.

Those who work through problems reside in the land of success. Those that don't, are lost in oblivion. Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp...

"...but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal."
Philippians 3:13-14 NRSV

Growing into place!

I know all moms with daughters will identify with this. When Vanessa was younger, three and four years old, she loved putting on my high-heeled shoes and wobbled around in them. She pranced in front of the mirror and I imagine she could not wait for a time when she could fit into those shoes.

I was reminded of that scenario this past week when I met with her coach to discuss her evaluation of the past basketball season (at school). Several of their top players were seniors and with two back to back state championships to their name it will be hard to follow in their footsteps. Will everyone expect them to play as the team did last year and the year before?
Maybe or maybe not. However, this is what they must remember, every person, every player has a different footprint. Allowances will be made if they don't play their best. After all, they will not have their players numbers this, that and the other. However, they can rise to the challenge and create the magic of a great team and amaze us all by playing their very best because they were a part of the best team in their league.

For a while little Vanessa teetered around in my shoes, several sizes too large. Ironically today, not too many years later, she wears a size larger than mine. We all know that especially with sneakers, the shoes seem to get molded to one's foot and no one else can be comfortable in those shoes. So do not seek to fill the shoes of others. Learn from them by all means. Then carve a path that is your own. Have your heroes, but don't live in their shadows for you must strive so others will learn and be inspired by you.

As we get into each tournament and each season, we are not looking for a replay of the best of our games. We are looking for new marvels, new inspiration, improvement and astonishing plays from unsuspected corners. That is what keeps the game fresh and exciting.
So as I watch your games as this season progresses, I will be looking to be enchanted, to be mesmerised, totally blown away by players who are electrifying, totally extraordinary. Players who have been well trained and have also learnt from other great players by reading their biographies and watching their games and beyond that modelled their own unique style.

Don't stay under the bar that already exists. Go on, raise the bar and then strive to keep raising it. Triumph is just "umph" added to try.

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not..."
Galatians 6:9

To the Seniors who have graced our courts, delighted us all and raised the bar for entire generations to come the world ahead is even more exciting than this one that they leave behind. My words to them:

"Do not follow where the path may lead... go instead where there is no path and leave a trail..."
God's Little Devotional Book for Leaders

Beyond Issues

Mary Jane just turned fourteen and she could not have been happier. She lived in a great little town, surrounded by her family, her grandparents and friends she had known since she was a baby. She loved her school but the highlight of her day was shooting baskets and running track during the season. Her school had not had a basketball team for the last two years because there were not enough girls interested.

Then one day her dad announced that they were moving. She thought she would die. How could they move? Where could they possibly move to that would not be the death of her? What would she do? How could she function without her friends, her cousins to shoot hoops with and her running buddies? For days she walked around in a daze, hoping she would wake up from her nightmare and be able to laugh at the absurdity of it. However, days went on and the movers came and their house was put up for sale and finally one day with a great deal of emotion their family and friends waved them good bye.

Mary Jane's family moved to Orlando because of her dad's job. Her parents registered her at the local school and tried to interest her in all the activities Orlando is famous for. Still in a daze, she went with the family to Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild, Disney but nothing could fill the void in her heart at having left her hometown. She tried to cheer up and see all the beauty around her. She showed appreciation for all her parents were trying to do to help her settle down but it was very difficult for her.

However, during her second week at school, one of the girls invited her to basketball practice. She agreed to go to kill some time. She even carried a book to read just in case. As they entered the gym a peace settled over Mary Jane. She walked on with a spring in her step, a smile on her face. Her new friend, Samantha turned around to say something to her and was so shocked by what she saw that she was rendered speechless. She looked at Mary Jane like she had never seen her before. There was a glow on her face, a smile so beautiful it simply transformed her. For a moment they just stood there and looked at each other.

Mary Jane then said quietly to her friend, " I love basketball..."
Samantha took her by the hand and said, "Come meet everybody". She introduced her to the coach and to the other players. As miracles would have it the team was short of one player because a minor injury to one of the players that would keep her from playing for the rest of the season. The team practised that evening for a couple of hours and it was clear from the onset that Mary Jane would be an asset to the team.

After practice Samantha asked Mary Jane if she would like to play on her AAU team as well starting in a few weeks. She had never played on one before because she came from such a small town that was so far from everywhere else that there were no teams to play against. She was ecstatic at the opportunity to play literary all year round.

The next two years were simply amazing. Mary Jane excelled in the academic but it was on the basketball court that she was simply magical. She played with an ease and flair that was fun to watch. She was a gracious player, always looking out for her team mates and playing hard to win, as she liked to joke, to bring the trophy home to her Coach who worked so tirelessly to teach them and mold them into extraordinary young ladies.

On the night before the State Championship game Mary Jane sat quietly in the garden, watching the stars and "speaking to God" as she often told her Daddy when he asked. She thought back to the time when they had to move from Smallville to Orlando and how she had been disappointed. She remembered how all she had thought about was the loss of her friends and her comfort zone and never once had she thought that her whole family was making the sacrifice too. She had forgotten, too, that God promises that whatever challenges we encounter He gives us the courage and the strength to cope with. Mary Jane thought of all she would have missed if they had not moved here. She would not have made all the new friends that she could add to her old ones; she would not have been able to play basketball at the level at which she was now playing and she would not have found salvation in Christ Jesus to whom she was introduced by one of her new friends.

As Mary Jane whispered her gratitude to God that evening she made a commitment to be open to change, to welcome challenges that take her out of her comfort zone. to embrace life with both hands and more than ever, to seek out others who might be lonely or facing some issues and think that the world is at an end when if fact it is just beginning.

Today Mary Jane's team is going out to dinner to celebrate the State Championship but for her, the celebration is for so much more. It is a celebration of life, of the talents the Lord has given her, the wonderful girls on her team that have contributed so much to building her self-esteem, to making basketball so much fun, to celebrate a Coach's faith in her abilities and those of her team mates, a coach's dedication to excellence and her parents' love and willingness to get out of their comfort zone.

Beyond life's issues lie all the fun, all the excitement and all you can be!

"Lessons Learned"

"I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw."-Proverbs 24:32

University of Iowa junior Mark Perry had wrestled Johny Hendricks many times in his life and had come up short every time. When Perry and Hendricks met for the fourth time in the 2006-07 season and the national championship was on the line, however, Perry pulled off the upset with a 4-3 victory. Iowa assistant and wrestling legend DanGable said of Perry, "He never acted like he could not beat him. He taught himself that no matter how many times he gets beat, he analyzes it and can beat anybody. And I think he proved that tonight.

"Both in competition and in life it is important for us to carefully observe what is going on around us, to internalize it and apply it to our lives. We can learn valuable lessons by taking an honest look at how we are living: what are we doing well, what do we need to change. However, a wise friend once told me, "I don't have time to make all the mistakes myself, so I have to learn from the mistakes of others, too." Study those around you to see what lessons you can learn from them, both good and bad.

In Proverbs 24:30-34 we read of a man who walks past the field of another man. The field had thorns and weeds all over the place, and the wall around it was in ruins. The passerby then looked beyond WHAT he saw and internalized HOW it got that way, and through that, he learned a lesson about diligence. "A little sleep, a little slumber,a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on youlike a bandit and scarcity like an armed man" (vv.33-34).

Take time to examine your life and the lives of others and internalize not only what you see, but why it is and how it got that way. In doing so, you will gain priceless wisdom to help you in life and in competition.

1. What are some recent lessons you've learned as a competitor?

2. What is something you have learned (good or bad) by observing another person? How have you applied this to your life?

3. As you examine your life and the lives of others, what do you find to be God's role?
Proverbs 2:6


Tournaments are a great opportunity to watch and learn from others. We learn from what we see on and off the court. The pressure the players play under provides the real forum for personalities and character to show.

As a player, what character am I exhibiting to my team mates and to our opponents? Do I come across as a professional? Am I a player the other team respects or am I one they hope they will never have the misfortune of playing again?

Am I kind to myself as I leave the tournament, realizing that this was a chance to watch and learn valuable lessons that will help me grow as an athlete, a basketball player and as a person?

Commitment: I will use every opportunity that I get to learn so that I can contribute to the growth of my team and myself.

(With excerpts from the Daily Devotional from the FCA website)

The Good, the Bad and the something else!

The Cocoa Experience was worth every moment. There were, I believe, some exhilarating moments and some sobering moments but such is life, isn't it?

The very Good!
The match against the Clearwater Heatwaves was unforgettable. We were in our element. We played the best defense I have seen us play since the team came together. The H/Waves were outwitted and dumbfounded. They did not expect us to beat them and whereas most teams play hard we played smart. We played a mental game and stayed with it to the last whistle.

#34 took on the challenge and set the pace, pulled the team around her very strong offence. She orchestrated the plays time and time again. At times she fanned out her players, creating a "Red Sea" effect and made a beeline for the hoop. At other times she drew them in, with military precision, to cover her while she went in for the kill. It was beautiful to watch.

The Bad!
There was one unfortunate incident with the Lady Comets in which one of their players said that if our players took the ball from her again she would kill somebody. Our player to whom this was said brought it to the attention of the referee and our coach. It is important that as we strive for excellence in our own game we do the same for our sport. Let us not allow anyone to hijack this sport that we love so much. If you ever encounter hostility or an attack on your person by anyone during a game, either verbally or physically, I urge you to let your coach or one of the officials know immediately.

I also noticed a disturbing trend among players (not necessarily on our team). I saw the ball kicked towards the referees a couple of times and on many occasions when players were fouled, instead of passing the ball to the referee respectfully they just dropped it where they were and I guess, expected the official to go after the ball. To me that is totally unacceptable. I refuse to accept this for several reasons:

We play this game to glorify God and when we don't respect those that have been put in authority over us then we play in vain.

We stand on God's territory, as much in Church, school, home as on the basketball court.
Therefore everything I do should be done in the spirit of one who knows they are in the
presence of the Almighty God.

The Something Else!
The opportunity to play the Falcons was worth the whole trip. They were ranked third in the National Championship last year. Yesterday, they beat last year's national champions to win first place. Several of them have played for a while together but what was interesting is that they did not have any particularly tall players. Indeed, to me they all looked about the same height. They played a fine game. They had speed, agility and flair. They were aggressive on the court, had very few turnovers, had their shooting down to a precise science and came across as having great sportsmanship.

I did have the pleasure of speaking to their coach and he told me that they have trained hard because their motivation was to beat teams that beat them last year. That is their yardstick as to whether they were growing as a team. Well, they beat the current national champions so I think they raised the bar.

I am glad that we got to play up and see first hand what it is we can aspire to. It will take personal training and development of each player, first and foremost as an athlete, then the equipping of each one with the skills and techniques of the game and finally bringing the players' abilities together in a symphony that will delight us all.

Where does one start?
Wherever you are at.
Then every day:

Good, better, best
never let it rest,
Until your good is better,
and your better, best.

Go Lady Lions!

And that's the Reason why!

"Some seem better prepared to step off one road
onto another more promising one.

The courage to act depends upon the strength
one has gathered,
the dares one has dared,

and sometimes
just because one was loved." _ Maya Angelou


And that is why we love you and tell you often that you are loved!

Tonight, "Be still and know that He is God!"

A Winning Performance!

What a day! What a day! The morning and the afternoon games: night and day! It reminded me of walking in the garden in the morning and seeing little cute caterpillars and taking an afternoon stroll on the same day and seeing butterflies and trying to reconcile that they were one and the same.

Let's go over the morning game in the spirit of Michael Jordan. We do not need to dissect the game to find out what was wrong with our plays. As Coach Shrell pointed out, that is dust off your sneakers, gone forever.

First there were five and what a team. They got no breaks and they withstood the pressure. Then there were four and they didn't miss a beat. They had issues, major issues. Firstly, they started out with half the size of their opponents (in numbers) with no bench. Secondly, they lost a player due to lack of registration and thirdly, they played last night. Other issues included a different floor than that which we are all used to playing on. Rubber balls obviously bounce differently on hardwood floors than they do on rubber.

If that was not enough, add two games being played simultaneously in full view of each other in the same gym, whistles are blowing, referees are distracted by the other game or they take a moment during time out to eat a slice of pizza. These are all mitigating circumstances but they are not what makes the headlines in basketball.

What struck me the most is that those four players with the odds stacked against them, played like that was the norm. In my book, they registered as extraordinary players. They displayed a passion for the game that was bigger than their excuses, larger than all the issues surmounting them. That is what made theirs a winning performance in spite of a tailing score against the Lady Lions.

In every game we play, let us seek to learn. Let us yearn to learn not only from our own mistakes and achievements but from the performance of the other teams. While we all agreed that there was a lot missing my regret was that we fell back to being ordinary by justifying the reasons why. Here is one I heard that I sincerely hope I will not hear from a Lady Lion ever again:

"I was tired..."

I sent a special article that included recommendations for sleep and rest as well as nutrition to make sure we were not tired. We had the advantage of playing early in the morning while fresh. The other team had played the night before and should have been more tired than we were. Furthermore, you are too young to be tired at 9 a.m. on the first day of a two-day tournament. However, I am glad that this happened this early in the season because you will appreciate the difference once you have had the personal training with Coach Andre'. Fatigue for you as athletes will not ever arise again.

Let's look at the second game. The game against the Clearwater Heatwave. Now, that was a game that will go down in our history books (just kidding) as a great game. You know you were awesome. You played every minute, every second of the game. You took what you are best at and played your hand over and over again.

Lady Lions, your defense is absolutely admirable. I am reminded of playing music. If you learn to play a note , don't try to get creative with it, just play it the same way each time, you will always get it right. Same thing here, if something works for you, do it over and over again. It was awesome watching you. I will take a one point win any day (and a bottle of Mylanta). Coach is really proud of you. He was tickled pink....ha!ha!ha! Now I am, too.

It was obvious that the Heatwave expected to win that game. They outnumbered you in numbers and size. They were dressed in black (Men In Black) for power. Indeed they looked like they were more than they really were. Yet we know (from the earlier game) that numbers or lack of them don't count for nothing, right? You played your game and not one that they pressured you into playing. You are good, you know you are so don't let anyone change your mind on the court.

Now visualize all that was right with that game and keep doing it again and again. Find out what was missing (not wrong) and add it at the next opportunity. Take a moment and savour this winning performance. Enjoy the feeling of success. It is a great motivator. Then make a commitment to make every game a winning performance: great scores follow high achievers.

Yay! You did it Lady Lions! You did it!
YOU MADE US PROUD! Grrrr.....rrrr~

Eat Right, Play Right

Eating a balanced, nutritionally sound diet provides the body with energy, aids in recovery, and contributes to the maintenance of lean muscle tissue, all major components of season-long peak performance. Many athletes, especially young athletes, neglect this important aspect of performance maintenance, and therefore suffer the consequences of lackluster play. Below the basics of balanced basketball nutrition are discussed. Following these simple steps will help you be at your best from pre-season practice to post-season play.

A minimum of eight to 10 12-ounce glasses of pure water should be drunk each and every day. Water comprises approximately two-thirds of your body mass, so remaining optimally hydrated should be a basketball player's first nutritional priority.

Five to six medium sized meals should be consumed per day as opposed to the traditional three larger ones. Eating in this manner will provide you with more energy (bigger meals require large amounts of energy to digest, thus leaving you with less energy for performance in-between the lines), and should help in the muscle building and maintaining process.

Balanced nutrition for basketball players should entail approximately 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 15% fat.

Hard training basketball players should consume approximately five grams of carbohydrates and .60 grams of high quality protein per pound of body weight each day. During training breaks carbohydrate intake should decrease to approximately three grams per pound of body weight per day. Protein consumption should remain about the same regardless of activity level.
Late night, high carbohydrate snacks should be avoided, as should excessive caffeine, and carbonated soft drinks.

Dietary supplementation is not needed or recommended for athletes who eat in a balanced, nutritionally complete manner.

Experimenting with steroids or other so-called "performance enhancing" substances is strongly discouraged.

Missing meals is not an option for a competitive basketball player.

Cool-Down Sufficiently After All Games And Workouts
Perhaps the most neglected aspect of sports physical conditioning is the post-game/workout cool-down. The reasons (excuses) for abdicating this activity are many. Let's just say it is tedious and delays more pleasant off-court activities. (A warm shower and a filling meal with your friends are certainly more appealing than 10 minutes on the Stairmaster and a stretching circuit.) Cooling down effectively after intense physical exertion is extremely important to the recovery process. It helps rid the body of lactic acid, a substance that contributes to muscle and joint soreness, thus allowing players to perform at their best day after day. Cooling down also has the added benefit of promoting sound sleep, which as you'll see below is crucial to maintaining peak performance. A proper cool-down for basketball players consists of light activity such as riding a stationary bike for eight to 10 minutes, followed by an abbreviated stretching routine which focus on the lower back and hamstrings. Some callisthenics and low intensity abdominal training can also be included.

Sleep: An Important Variable In Maintaining Performance Levels
One of my favorite counselors at the famous Five-Star basketball camp once said to me, ‘if you want to soar with the eagles in the day, you can't hoot with the owls at night." Sound words. Words all competitive basketball players should heed. Although sleep requirements vary from person to person, seven to eight hours per night should suffice for most. Younger ballplayers (16 and under) will typically need more sleep than their older counterparts. Detailed below are some helpful hints for getting a good night's sleep.

Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas late in the day.
Engage in some wind down time just before going to bed. This might include a little light reading, performing some easy stretching movements, or just clearing your mind and sitting quietly.
Drink a mug warm milk an hour or so prior to retiring.
Avoid mind stimulating activities close to bedtime. Getting your mind racing prior to hitting the rack is a sure way to keep you up.
Avoid late evening exercise if possible. (Night games are of course the exception.) This revs up your metabolism and can delay the onset of sleep.
Take a 20 minute warm bath two to three hours prior to going to bed. This will contribute toward lowering your body temperature, which leads to sound sleep.

(This is an excerpt from Power performance)


Recommended foods:
Lots of pasta, bananas, fish and skinless chicken, vegetables, whole grain cereals and grapes. Avoid candy, chips, whole milk, red meat and junk food. Absolutely no turkey, none at all during games (makes you sleepy) How about that :)

Failure and success: Two sides of the same coin!

"I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and lost. I have failed over and over again in my life and that is why I have succeeded!" ...Michael Jordan

I remember my early years in kindergarten and first grade and I am sure you do too. I did not know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide but that did not stop me from going to school, I don't think. In fact I carried on with total oblivion as to what I did not know. I was just happy to be there to have fun and make friends. Surprisingly, while I was at it I must have learnt something because before long I advanced to the next class and the next and on and on until one day I stood up to shake the hand of the President of the University of Florida on graduation day. Wow, who would have thought when I was in second grade that I was simply on a journey that would take me from Nairobi to Gainesville.

You are still young in the development of your game. Live in the moment. Attend every practice. Put frustration aside. Absorb all the coaches are teaching you. Open your minds to receive instruction. Learn the ABCs of the game and then build your game on a strong foundation. Allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes and take to heart any suggestions for improvement. A third grader is not consumed by doubts as to her abilities, no, she just learns and keeps doing all she is told to do. She trusts her teacher when she is told that 5 multiplied by 5 is 25. She practices it until she has it committed to memory. Likewise with the positions coach teaches you in order to get your shots in, practice, don't tire. Just like you did not learn the mulitplication tables in a couple of weeks getting the perfect plays in basketball is going to take time and dedication. Practice to perfection.

After every game, Michael Jordan watches a video recording of the game to see what else he could have done to take the game to the next level. Michael did this not to beat himself up but to see what was missing in his game. He did this so he could raise the bar. I suggest that this is a very powerful way to help you grow.

As we go to this weekend's tournament my desire for you is that you will put into play all you have learnt. Give it everything you've got because everything you've got is enough. Do not have any doubts about yourselves because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are created in His image so go forth in the knowledge that you are the best there possibly could be.

Hey, Fear the Lions!!! Grrr...rrr~

It started along time ago...

When people watch you on the court and see how good you are there are those who will say to you,
"You are so lucky..."

I hope you will smile and remember the many times you ran around the court. You will recall the many hours of practice officially on Tuesdays and Thursdays and unofficially, all the days in between. You will think back to the push-ups, the endless free-throws, the sweat, the tears, the nail-biting and the near-screams. You will sneak a peek at your Mom and remember all her cancelled hair appointments, all the re-scheduled family vacations to accommodate your practice and your games.

It is amazing that most people miss the point entirely. The point is that it started a long time ago. It started with a vision of basketballs and hoops. You saw the script and knew you simply had to be a part of it. You held the ball in your hands and dribbled a little. Barely able to get your tiny hands around the ball, certainly not able to throw the ball anywhere near the hoops. Yet you knew that one day, given an inch or two (ok, a foot or two) plus technique and a burning desire, three-pointers will charactize your game and getting all your free throws will be a matter of course. You knew without a doubt that you will aspire to greatness.

So here we are today. It is the season to prove to others what you already know of your game: You are destined to be the best.

Challenging Vs. Challenged
The very first words in Scott Peck's book, The Road Less Travelled, are:
"Life is difficult"

The very first truth I want us to acknowledge, embrace and come to terms with as we start this journey to greatness is that the game of basketball is difficult. While certainly not the most motivational words ever written, this should allay any fears that we may have about being challenged. It simply means that the game is challenging.

Let us distinguish between the two words here:

Challenged: This suggests that we are lacking in the ability to deal with the circumstance or the situation we are faced with.

Challenging: This, on the other hand, paints a picture of a situation that calls for our very
extraordinary ability, that creates an opportunity for us to rise above ourselves.

Having said that, we must make a commitment to dedicate ourselves to the kind of mental and physical training that will enable us to rise to the challenge on every occasion. Here is the reason why: success is difficult but so is mediocrity and failure. So if all of life is difficult no matter what we choose, why not choose success? Why not attain the dreams of our lives? Now that it is stated here in black and white it makes sense, right? It is even fairly simple if you think about it, isn't it? So why doesn't everyone do it? The answer is even simpler: They don't know that they can.

I am going to challenge you all to dare to dream; to dream big; to dream beyond yourselves.
You have the raw, untapped ability to create an exciting, balanced and unpredictable future. Success, as proven by so many legendary basketball stars has nothing to do with bloodlines, income levels, intelligence, race, creed or even physical characteristics. We can let ourselves off the hook by justifying circumstances, events or even placing the blame on someone or something other than ourselves. We can also choose to be unstoppable.

I attended a Catholic boarding (all girls' school) in middle and high school. I played both tennis as a seeded player and field hockey. We lived for the hockey season. I had played since middle school and I dreamt of playing on the Varsity team for the longest time. To that end I ran cross-country even though I hated it. I drank milk every day and stayed away from sugar. I joined the varsity team as a Junior and proudly played my heart out. We won the National Championship and looked forward to coming back the following year to defend our title. We had an awesome team, a great nationally-acclaimed coach and a very supportive fan club.

At the start of the season of my senior year, Sr. Mary Owens, our principal, dropped a bombshell on our heads one morning at assembly. Our coach, Ms Cynthia Alubale, had been picked out to play on the national hockey team. That would mean she had to give up her coaching position at our school and leave immediately for training camp. We wished her well because it was a great honor for her but we were devastated by the realization that we would not play hockey that season. I prayed and prayed for divine wisdom. I may even have prayed, in a moment of weakness, that Coach Alubale would not join the national team. This is like Kobe refusing to join the NBA because he is dedicated to coaching high school basketball. I went around feeling miserable for about a day. Then, sitting in math class the next day, and obviously not concentrating, I got my "light-bulb" moment, as Oprah would say. I asked to be excused and I ran all the way to the Principal's office. I asked the secretary for a copy of the Hockey Handbook (the equivalent of the FHSAA Handbook) and read through the rules; then re-read them and read them one more time.

"YE.....SSSS!!!! There was nothing in there to say we could not enter the tournament if we did not have a coach. I asked to see the Principal and she humoured me. She listened to my passioned speech about how we would train and practice, pray and go on to win the national championship. Sr Mary looked at me and asked who would coach the team. Without hesitation I said I would. Incredible as it was, she agreed but on one condition, that if we lost the first three games she would withdraw the school. In that moment, we won the game. I called the team together that afternoon after school. We picked out my assistant coach and laid out our strategy for training and winning. In the following two weeks many of the players threatened to quit. We did not go out to the field even once. We sat in a classroom and wrote down why we wanted to play; we made commitments to ourselves and to each other; dedicated the team in prayer; reviewed our plays on the board to the point that we could have played hockey in our sleep. We ran with the cross-country team every morning at 6 a.m. and worked out every day after school. We asked the Track Coach to train us in explosive lateral and linear movement and rapid acceleration changes. We played an endless number of "friendlies" against the best boys' teams in the area.

The tournament started and we walked onto the hockey field for every game knowing we had won even before the game began because our desire to win knew no alternative. We played our best each time and had lots of fun because we knew it was not just about winning, it was about putting on an unforgettable performance. We were teenagers, we believed in ourselves, we had so much self-confidence we were absolutely unstoppable. The day of the National Championships dawned like any other but for us the sunrise was that much more glorious, the mist simply a blessing and the pounding of our hearts just the sound of music. The entire school of 800 students had a day off to come cheer us on.

We boarded the buses chartered by the Catholic Church, said a prayer for safety and we were on our way. We sang from our hearts as we rode to Nairobi, 52 miles away, giggling as only teenage girls do. We got to the sports complex and started our warm-ups.

I left the team for a few moments and walked up to Sr. Mary Owens and asked her this,
"Why did you agree to let us play even though we have no coach?" She said these powerful words to me:
"You have already been coached, you know the rules and the plays. All you needed to do was practice and build on what you already knew. The rest was up to how much you believed in your dream and when you came to me that morning you demonstrated that you did. All I did was give you the opportunity to live your dream".

With my heart bursting with feeling I walked back to the team and gave my last little pep talk and with that we exploded onto the field amid shouts and clapping from our parents, families, friends, school mates and alumni. We played a very tough opponent and at half-time we were tied at 12 points. Time for my little pep talk. The second half was a blur. The whistle blew to signal the end of the game.

We won! We won the National Championship by a 16 point lead. We won the title because we refused to let a detail such as no coach stop us. We won because we wanted to. We won because there were no excuses bigger than our dreams. We won because even though it was a hard road without a coach, it would have been harder not having the opportunity to play in my senior year; not living my dream. We gave it all we had and in return, we won it all. Not surprising a winner's attitude on the court or the field stays with you in class and everywhere you go. My desire for you is to develop a "Winner's Attitude". Grr...in the jungle a winner's attitude is the only option. Lady Lions, let's go for it!